Abstract

The trawling is carried out almost throughout
the year in the inshore water except for
peak monsoon months. Their nonoperation
is chiefly due to the unfavourable
sea conditions or bans imposed by the
governments as in Kerala, Tamilnadu,
Andhra Pradesh or socially self-imposed
ban as in Karnataka. The excessive fishing pressure exerted by the mechanized / motorized sector in a
climatically limited coastal habitat up to a
depth of about 50 m have not only affected
the sustenance of some easily vulnerable
resources, but also challenged the very
existence of some shell fishes, fin fishes
and bottom organisms, including the biota
which are non-edible to man but vital in
the food web of all exploitable resources. The present
account pertains to the impact of the gear
along the south-west coast (Karnataka and
Kerala) trawling grounds preferably on the
non- target by catch.